April 7, 2026 • 30 mins
In this episode of iHeartCommunities as we celebrate the Ninth Annual Great Community Give, happening April 22, from sunrise to sunset. This community-wide day of giving makes it easier than ever to support the nonprofits and causes that strengthen the Valley. Whether you give online or donate directly to your favorite organization, every contribution fuels meaningful change.In this episode, we sit down with leaders from several participating nonprofits to explore how the Great Community Give uplifts their missions and the people they serve. Our guests include:
- Kelsey Gerber — The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County
- Nate Riddle — Open Doors
- Sabrina Dorman-Andrew — New Creation VA
- Ashley Rizzo-Csady — Rocktown Rollers
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So all right, well, let's start off. The Great Community
Give is just a few weeks away. It's coming up
April twenty second. That is an all day event from
sunrise to sunset on a Wednesday and downtown Harrisonburg. And
this is such a great cause. The Community Foundation of
Harrisonburg and Rockingham County organizes this event every year and
(00:22):
we raise a lot of money for a lot of
great organizations right here in our backyard, for the city
of Harrisonburg and for Rockyham County. I want to start off.
Kelsey Gerbers, the program manager for the Community Foundation of
Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, will also be joined by Nate
Riddle from Open Doors, Sabrino Dorman, Andrew from New Creation VA,
(00:42):
and Ashley Rizzo Chaudie from Rocktown Rollers Roller Derby. Kelsey,
let's start off, give me a little bit bigger idea
of what the Great Community Give is and why the
community foundations involved.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah. So, like you said, the Great Community Give is
a rise to sunset Giving Day, meaning we're going to
start bright and early at six am and it will
go and tell eight pm. So whenever the sun is up,
you can give to area organizations. The nonprofits that are
serving Harrisburg and rockym County. And so it's a really
(01:18):
special day to see the community come together to support
all different types of the organizations that serve our community
so well. Here at the Community Foundation, our mission is
we make it easy to give back to the community
we all love and we feel like the Great Community
Give is a great vehicle for that. The minimum donation
(01:38):
is ten dollars. You know, it's only ten dollars. You
log onto the Great Community Give dot org website. It's
really easy to find, you know, the organizations that you know,
or maybe the organizations that you've never heard of but
are interested in learning more about and supporting. Like I said,
the minimum donation is ten dollars, so it's pretty accessible
for people to come together and just give what they
(02:01):
feel comfortable giving. And yeah, I give what they can
to support Kelsey.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
I hope that most of our listeners have heard of
the Great Community Give, but they may not be as
familiar with the Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockham County.
What is your organization, what are you doing behind the scenes,
and why did you adopt this idea of doing the
Great Community Give?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Sure, Yeah, we do get that a lot a lot
of times when I first started working here at the
Community Foundation, I would say that this is where I'm
working and they would say, oh, what's that. I'd say,
do you know what the great community given is? They say, yeah,
I donate every year, and I said, that's us. So,
like I said, the Community Foundation of Hersoonbery and Rockham County.
Our mission is we make it easy to give back
(02:46):
to the community we all love, and we do that
through so many different ways. So we hold and manage
charitable funds, and we specialize in endowment so these forever
funds where nonprofits are going to be able to be
supported now into the future.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Too.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
We hold and manage scholarship funds for local students. We
have dozens of scholarship funds, primarily for local high school seniors,
but also for vocational training for adults wanting to go
back and get different certifications, which is awesome. We do
(03:25):
the great community give obviously. We also do Dolly Parton's
Imagination Library, which is a program where children under the
age of five can get one free book delivered right
to their door once a month, which is awesome. We
do some other things, but really everything that we do
is revolved around charitable giving.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
So the money raised on April twenty second during the
Great Community Give, is that to fund and endowment or
is that money going directly to the organizations?
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So that money is going directly to the organizations. Last
year we raised two point two million dollars and our
goal this year is two point five million dollars. But yeah,
all that money goes straight back to the organizations, which
I think makes this event just even more special because
you know that whether it's ten dollars, whether it's one
(04:17):
hundred dollars, whether it's one thousand dollars, whatever you want
to give, that money is going straight back to the
community that you're living in, and that's going to impact you.
It may impact you directly or at least indirectly, which
I think is really special.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
So do I have to wait until April twenty second
to make a donation to my favorite organization Chris?
Speaker 2 (04:37):
If you are just so excited and you cannot wait
until April twenty second, you do not have to Early
giving starts April seventh, So the Great Community Give dot
org website April seventh, at midnight will be up and
accepting donations. You can that's when you can also start
making your offline donation, so through checks or cash, you
(05:02):
can send those directly to the nonprofits that you want
to support. And that early giving phase is open from
April seventh to April twenty first, and then April twenty
second is the Day of Great Community Give.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
But if I make a contribution early, it still counts
towards that two point five million dollar goal for the year.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Absolutely, yes it does.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
And how many organizations are going to be participating this year?
Speaker 2 (05:28):
We have one hundred and fifty seven organizations, which is
just such a shock because I think, you know, we
know of the same few popular or big organizations, and
I think a lot of people think there may be
like fifteen or twenty nonprofits, but you know, there's at
least one hundred and fifty seven that are serving Harsonbury
(05:48):
and Rockeham County, which is awesome.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, I agree. I love the fact that here in
the Harrisburg Rockem County area we have so many organizations
helping so many people, neighbors helping neighbors, and we've we've
got three of those organizations that are joining us today
on iHeart Communities. I'd like to speak with Nate Riddle.
He's the executive director of Open Doors. Nate, welcome to
iHeart Communities and welcome to the great community give looking
(06:13):
forward to seeing how the community can help give back
to your organization. Can you tell us a little bit
about what open Doors is and how you're helping and
how the money you raise will help your organization.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Yeah, absolutely, Chris, thanks for having us here today. Well.
Open Doors has served the Harrisonburg and Rockingham community for
eight eighteen years. We serve as the area's only load
barrier emergency shelter provider for those experiencing homelessness. What that
means is that we're serving typically every case or every
face of homelessness that you may think of. This is
(06:48):
ground zero or the emergency room and the homeless services system.
We now serve in a year round model. For the
majority of our eighteen years, we only operate at six
months out of the year during the coldest parts of
the year, and that would be traditionally called the thermal season.
But in December of twenty twenty four, we moved into
a facility called the Navigation Center and that allows us
(07:09):
to provide that year round shelter to eighty individuals each night.
So every night we welcome eighty people, fifty six men,
twenty four women, and they don't only receive a place
to sleep in safety and comfort, but access to many
many resources. Starting in December twenty twenty four, we also
(07:29):
launched broader programming to reach the community that is unhoused
and not in the shelter, but also the housed in
our community experiencing other hardship. And we do that through
a couple of different ways. We can being eight on
site partnerships that address housing and security, that provides specialized
case management services, mental health and healthcare needs that the
(07:51):
community might be experiencing. And we provide resource navigation, free
amenities like showers and laundry, things that really allow us
to live out our mission of safe shelter, but also
compassionate support and access to services. We've been in this
facility for about one and a half years now and
we've been able to meet many people where they're at
(08:13):
in this new model that brings stability for us but
also the individuals we're serving.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Do we sort of have a invisible homeless issue here
in our community. I would think that there are people
who are still employed but they're underemployed and no fault
of their own. They weren't able to pay their mortgage,
they've lost their home, or some kind of scenario like
that where they're in need of just some basic assistance
(08:41):
to get back on their feet. Is that where Open
Doors comes in.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Absolutely, and you make a good point, Chris, about invisible homelessness,
and that is a sign of a well functioning system.
But the issue is very real in our community. In
twenty twenty five, open Doors served three hundred and ninety
two unique individuals in the shelter program, another two hundred
and forty five unique people in the drop in center.
Mix of housed and unhoused individuals in that number, but yes,
(09:10):
increasingly so, we have individuals that are working full time
but not at a livable wage to where they consistain
independent living in the market that we have in the
local area, more people that are with cars. Right if
you come to our parking lot, you'll see a full
parking lot every evening, and those are individuals that fell
in hard times, lost their housing, but are still commuting
(09:30):
back and forth to work every day. It's a very
real issue that's growing in prevalence and in diversity and
who it's touching. And so we see the single mother
that you know, perhaps experienced the divorce or the domestic
violence victim that's fleeing that situation. And then we see
(09:51):
individuals that again simply fell on hard times and needs
extra support. So they come here. They get a place
to stay, but they also receive access to case management, healthcare,
on site mental health if they so choose, and just
a compassionate and kind hand as they navigate the next
chapter of their life. Now, our goal is transition. We
(10:14):
are an emergency solution, right we say that the shelter
is the life saving program, then our drop and center
and the resource programming is our life changing program, and
we want them to ultimately find a long term solution
outside of the facility. Fifty three people did that in
twenty twenty five. That might sound like a small number,
but it's quite significant when you think about what our
(10:36):
housing stock is doing in the area. We're good at
what we do, but we have to have a place
to send people, and the reality is that we don't
necessarily have as many places that we need to send people.
So fifty three chiuse accomplishment and speaks to the great
work that Open Doors is doing, but also the many
partners that we work with.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
You mentioned that you went from a six month program
to a year round program that I'm guessing that probably
comes to doubling your expense throughout the year. I would
assume the Great Community Give is going to be a
great way for you to help supplement those additional costs
in your budget.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
Absolutely so. First, you know, we are in a public
private partnership with the City of Harrisonburg, but a common
misconception is that we are largely subsidized or that if
that budget is offset by the City of Harrisonburg. And
while we're very thankful for our partnership, local government funding
only makes around twenty three twenty five percent maybe an fyi,
twenty seven of our overall operations. There are no state
(11:33):
or federal funds that fund open Doors or the programming
here at the Navigation Center, which is the building that
we operate out of, so we rely greatly on private Phillecianthropy,
including the Great Community Give. Last year's campaign was called
Planting Our Routes. It was really focused on the capital
expansion here at the new facility, and this year we've
coined the campaign, growing our routes right, moving towards stability,
(11:54):
that where we're meeting that demand because there has been
a great increase with a six month to twelve month
transition and then the growing program to reach the broader community.
People are are programming without our case management team, without
our support team, we're not able to navigate the complexity
that our guests are experiencing. But we also provide hygiene
(12:15):
products and do our due diligence to make sure that
when someone needs a birth certificate, we can get that
for them. When folks need linens right, we're providing our
base lens, but also providing them extras that make sure
that they're comfortable while they're here. So the great community
give and here around. Philanthropy from our community, our capassionate
community that I'm thankful to live in, is of extreme
(12:36):
importance to our mission.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
We're speaking with Nate Riddle, executive director from Open Doors.
What's your goal moving forward in the next five years?
How would extra funding help you grow?
Speaker 4 (12:50):
Yeah, Well, we're really focused on moving people through the
system at appropriate pace, but we want to get quicker
right and so that requires us to continue courting prevention
and long term solutions outside of the facility. So we
are focused on stabilizing our program here in the shelter program,
but also building partnerships that are focused on that long
(13:12):
term care. So most recently the Shelter Mental Health Partnership
with launched this month. That launched this month on site
of the Navigation Center, is focused on bringing a source
of mental health in a rather scarce.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
Environment.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Right there aren't very many mental health providers, but we
recognize that that stability is required for someone to be
able to transition, So we're focused on addressing the holistic needs.
So over the next five years, we look to grow
those partnerships that are going to allow someone to not
just stabilize and find safety, but to make a transition.
We continue to engage in advocacy and we plan to
(13:48):
ramp those matters to those engagements up so that we
continue to see affordable housing developed in the area and
real solutions.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
In real time.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
We hope not to have to grow our shelter program
because we want to focus on the larger issues that
make that not as needed.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Nate Riddle is the executive director of Open Doors. If
we would like to get in touch with you, if
we'd like to learn more information about open Doors. How
do we reach out to you?
Speaker 4 (14:16):
Yeah, you can find us online at Valley Opendoors dot
org dot org. You can also find us on any
social media platform at Valley open Doors and we'd love
to connect. We have community connection events all throughout the
year where folks can come in and meet with our staff,
take a tour of the facility and really see what
(14:36):
is being done here on site and what the impact is.
We want you to be able to experience that as
closest to the ground as possible, not just through the
Great Community to Give, but year round and so we're
thankful to be part of the Community Foundation's initiative. We've
been a part of it since its inception and every
year we continue to grow. Those funds continue to grow
for us through this event and playing a pivotal part
(14:57):
in our ability to be where we're at today.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Great Community Give Us coming up on Wednesday, April twenty second,
we're just a few weeks away now. It's a sunrise
to sunset fundraising event. If you'd like to contribute to
open Door support what they're doing here in our community,
you can go to Great Community Give dot org. Another
one of the organizations that's participating this year is New
(15:21):
Creation VA and the co founder and executive director is
Sabrina Dorman Andrews. Sabrina, good morning, Good morning. Tell us
about New Creation.
Speaker 6 (15:32):
Yeah, So New Creation is a Harsenburg based nonprofit that
creatively counteracts human trafficking.
Speaker 5 (15:39):
And so a lot of.
Speaker 6 (15:40):
The work that we're doing is right here in our
local community. So human trafficking is one of those issues
that I think a lot of people are unaware of.
They don't think it's here in our community. And so
because of those misconceptions, often victims are not identified and
children are not protected, and so our art really is
(16:01):
first and foremost to prevent human trafficking. So one of
our initiatives is called the Prevention Project. It's actually a
curriculum that we help fund and implement in middle.
Speaker 5 (16:10):
Schools and high schools.
Speaker 6 (16:12):
We're in Page County, Rockingham County, Harrisonburg City, stand Augusta, Waynesboro,
and even down in the Williamsburg area. So prevention and
awareness is a big piece of what we do. A
lot of people know about us because of our shop.
So our shop is in a pretty infamous building in
the city. We took over a former we'll call it
(16:33):
an adult novelty shop, and we did that very purposefully
because we wanted to talk about the issues that are
very normalized in our society and our culture that does
lay the groundwork and foundation for things like sextra trafficking
to thrive. So our shop that is a job creation mechanism.
So what we have found found out is even when
(16:56):
survivors are exiting their exploitation, eighty percent of human trafficking
survivors go back into exploitation without a dignified opportunity. So
job creation has to be part of the solution in
the anti trafficking movement.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
So we do that globally. So we've worked with over.
Speaker 6 (17:13):
Two hundred partnerships making sure survivors have dignified opportunities to
move themselves out of exploitation and into a thriving, beautiful life.
And here locally, we're working on a coffee shop and
cafe to do the very same thing. So the coffee
shop and cafe that we're going to open it is
going to be a job creation mechanism as well, just
(17:35):
an extension of our shop to make sure that women
who are overcoming in our city, whether it's exploitation or
incarceration or addiction, that they have a not just a
great work environment, but they have opportunities for workforce training,
job development, personnel.
Speaker 5 (17:54):
Development, and mentorships.
Speaker 6 (17:56):
And so that's a little bit of what New Creation does.
We also walk with local and so we partner with
a great local organization, stone Haven, VA. They are the
other anti trafficking organization in our city. And it's such
a beautiful partnership because we work together to serve local
survivors and to make it even more impactful.
Speaker 5 (18:16):
Nate is one of the partnerships.
Speaker 6 (18:17):
So Stonehaven has a drop in center at the Navigation
Center to make sure if there is somebody exploit that
if somebody is in exploitation, they have the ability to
connect to the resources that are very specified for them.
And so I love the way that our community, you know,
the great community give helps showcase so many of our
(18:39):
amazing organizations. But it's really cool of the way that
we partner together and work together, and often people don't
realize that.
Speaker 5 (18:46):
So I love Nate.
Speaker 6 (18:48):
I love Open Doors And if you guys have not
seen it, you really do need to go and see it.
It's really incredible and It's such a great resource, not
just for a new creation in the population we serve,
but for our community as a whole.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Sabrina Dorman speaks.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
I was going to add that speaks to the holistic
nature of this project, But that collaboration I don't think
we can emphasize enough. You know, we are providing shelter
for those victims in some scenarios, but we're not the
expert in human trafficking and exploitaations, so we bring those
case management services on site. So thank you Sabrina for
highlighting that partnership.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Yeah, when we were speaking with you, Nate and Sabrina,
as you're talking about new creations, one of the things
that I was thinking about is, especially when we're talking
about the homeless population, safety for them. You know, if
you're sleeping in your car, or you know, worse, you're
sleeping outside, the threat to your personal safety and how
(19:48):
someone could offer warmth to exploit you, and how they
can you know, offer maybe if you're addicted to drugs,
offer you some drugs and say you can come here
and you'll be safe, And it's just the opposite. Uh, Sabrina,
is our community within a and I don't want to
(20:08):
use the word normal, because nothing about what we're talking
about is normal. But is it within the averages of
what other communities in Virginia are dealing with or are
we a place where, because of the interstate, maybe that
people are being exploited more than they are in other areas.
Speaker 6 (20:27):
Yeah, the reality is, you know, human trafficking is everywhere.
It's in every city, big and small. Our city, I
do think poses some challenges uniquely, like what you mentioned,
Chris about you know, our positioning to the interstate.
Speaker 5 (20:42):
But you know, a lot of times even what.
Speaker 6 (20:44):
You were talking about of you know, somebody being able
to offer warmth to somebody in exchange the idea of
human trafficking. All somebody needs is a vulnerability, and we
all have a vulnerability. So traffickers are looking for a
vulnerability to exploit. And so we have populations, whether it's
a college student that's away from home for the first
(21:05):
time and we have all these colleges and universities that
can create a vulnerability, or we're a refugee resettlement community,
which makes our city so beautiful, but that population can
often be vulnerable because there's a barrier of language, there's
a disparity in a lot of times the resources that
they need, so that can make someone more vulnerable. So
(21:27):
I do see that our city has some specific vulnerabilities
that maybe other cities don't see. What I think is
the most surprising. So I entered into the anti trafficking
movement globally first. So my husband and I were serving
a group in Uganda, and so this was back in
twenty twelve. Nobody was really talking about domestic human trafficking.
(21:50):
What does it look like in our country and how
does it happen? And so I think even back then
people had this misconception that it was kidnapping into trafficking.
We weren't really understanding how it happens. A lot of
the cases that I have worked locally, and it falls
very much in line across the nation, are familial trafficking,
meaning that victim is exploited by a family member. The
(22:13):
very first case of trafficking I worked was in my
hometown of Elkton, which is less than four thousand people,
and that young lady's trafficker was her mother, and so
the idea of vulnerability whether in this case her mom
had an addiction, and that created a horrific opportunity for
(22:34):
her to exploit her daughter to support her addiction. But
that can be a loss of a job, that can
be homelessness, that can be a lack of opportunities that
create in a family unit.
Speaker 5 (22:47):
This really really.
Speaker 6 (22:49):
Horrific cycle of exploitation within the families. And so that's
why the work we're doing in schools is so important.
You know, when we started talking about we need to
have conversations in schools, did at first have pushback because
people really wanted those topics taught at the dining room
table and a family right, like which is you know,
(23:09):
wouldn't that be utopia?
Speaker 5 (23:10):
We don't even eat at our dining room anymore.
Speaker 6 (23:13):
But you know this idea that like families should be
the ones. But the reality is about fifty percent of
child sex trafficking in the US is perpetrated by a
family member. So you know, when that is what is
happening and that is what is normal in that child's
life and in that family, you really need an outside
agency like New Creation to raise awareness, open conversations, and
(23:37):
give potential victims or current victims the language that they
need to say what is actually happening.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
I spoke to someone once that was doing difficult work
like you do every day, and I said, how do
you how do you deal with it? And they said,
because I know we're helping. It's it's such powerful work
that you're doing. Sabrina Orman Andrews, the co founder and
executive director of New Creation Virginia. If you're listening to
this conversation and you're thinking, oh, they need help, you
(24:09):
can help with the Great Community Give coming up on
April twenty second. Go to Great Community Give dot org.
There are links to all of the organization's descriptions of
what they do in our community. There's one hundred and
fifty seven organizations that are participating this year. We've spoken
with two so far. This morning, I'd like to bring
in Ashley Rizzo Chatti. She's the president of Rocktown Rollers
(24:30):
roller derby and Ashley, you're participating this year and we're
going to raise some funds for you and your crew.
Tell me about Rocktown Rollers.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Sure, thanks for having me. Yeah. So, Rocktown Rollers is
the local roller derby league in Harrisonburg. We currently represent
skaters from up and down basically the Shenandoah Valley. We
are a volunteer skater owned and operated nonprofit ORGANI Station.
Our mission is to support local businesses and charities and
(25:06):
serve as positive role models in the community, respecting diversity
and providing quality sports entertainment. Roller Derby is a crazy sport.
It's super fun, kind of like Nascar on roller spots
if you will. It's a full contact sport. It's something
that we can that anybody can participate in. And that's
(25:29):
one of the things that I love the most about
about roller derby and about Rocktown Rollers specifically.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
When I was a kid, we used to watch the
roller derbies on TV. Are the Rocktown Rollers just like that?
Are you in crazy costumes and trying to hip check
the person out of the roller rink?
Speaker 4 (25:46):
So?
Speaker 2 (25:46):
Yes, and no.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
One of the things I think that people think about
when they think about roller derby is bank track, so
the tracks the sides go up high. We don't do
bank track. We are part of a flat track organization,
so maybe a little less exciting, but I don't think
so personally. But we are definitely trying to hip check
the other team out of the out of the track
(26:10):
if we can manage it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
I had a coworker that was a Rocktown roller years ago.
We came and watched and it was a blast. So
I encourage you, if you've not been to one of
the events, to check out a roller derby here at Harrisonburg.
Ashley Rizzochatti is the president of Rocktown Rollers Roller Derby.
How will the Great Community give help your organization to
(26:33):
continue to thrive?
Speaker 3 (26:35):
So the Great Community Give is going to be a
real boon for the Rocktown Rollers. Currently, with our membership,
we have dues. Every member of plase paced dues and
that brings in about fourteen hundred dollars a month, but
it costs us on average seventeen hundred dollars a month
to just practice just have a space to practiceess So
(26:58):
that gives us shortage of about thirty six hundred dollars,
and we love to be able to bring in eighty
six thousand dollars is what we're looking for because one
of the things that we love to be able to
do and have done in the past is when we
host bouts. When we host games, part of our proceeds
(27:18):
from ticket sales we will donate back to our sponsored charities.
So we have worked with places like our Community or
excuse me, our Community Place, OCP, Big brothers and big sisters.
We have participated in the Out of the Darkness Walk
as well as the Blacks Run cleanup and we have
(27:39):
about coming up actually on April eighteenth, and our two
charities of focus then will be the ASPCA and then
Love Forward, which is a charity based out of Stanton,
and actually one of the women that I believe she
owns the charity or runs the charity, she was a
Rocktown roller as well. So being able to to have
(28:00):
that money to then donate back to our community is
something that's really important to us.
Speaker 6 (28:07):
The other thing that we.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
We'll use our money for is to cut out that
can't afford to either pay dues or get a full
new kit of equipment. Like I said, dues is fifty
dollars a month, and then you have to have insurance
which is seventy five dollars a year, and then a
new kit of equipment can cost anywhere from two hundred
and fifty dollars to upwards of one thousand depending on
(28:35):
how fancy the skates you want, and so being able
to have a scholarship to invite everyone in is really
important to us. We don't ever want money to be
a barrier to be able to participate with the Rocktown Rollers.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
The Rocktown Rollers Roller Derby President Ashley Word. So, Chotie,
what what's your racer name or your derby name?
Speaker 3 (29:00):
My derby name is Nancy Drew Bud and my number
is eight way. That's why my number is important is
because it represents the Dewey decimal where Nancy Drew mysteries
are found in the library. So we get to pick
our name, we get to pick our number, and usually
there's some kind of significance like that.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
I love it. The Great Community Give is coming up
on April twenty second. Kelsey, program manager with the Community
Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rocky Am County. We've got like
thirty seconds, real quick. Tell us how we can get
all the information we need and how we can participate
in the Great Community Give.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Absolutely yeah. So if you you know, are hearing from
Open Doors or New Creation VA or Rock Town Rollers
and you are interested in giving to them on Great
Community Give Day or during that early giving time from
April twenty April seventh to April twenty for you can
visit Great Community Give dot org. You'll just go to
(30:00):
the search bar and you can type in a specific
organization that you know you want to give to. You
can look up a broad topic like housing insecurity, or
youth or the arts or something like that, and you'll
be able to maybe learn about some new organizations that
you're not familiar with, or like I said, you the
ones that you know you want to give to. And
(30:20):
the minimum donation is ten dollars. There is no maximum donation.
So let your generosity speak to you on that day
and what you want to give.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
And we're gonna stop it there, and I will put
a
So all right, well, let's start off. The Great Community
Give is just a few weeks away. It's coming up
April twenty second. That is an all day event from
sunrise to sunset on a Wednesday and downtown Harrisonburg. And
this is such a great cause. The Community Foundation of
Harrisonburg and Rockingham County organizes this event every year and
(00:22):
we raise a lot of money for a lot of
great organizations right here in our backyard, for the city
of Harrisonburg and for Rockyham County. I want to start off.
Kelsey Gerbers, the program manager for the Community Foundation of
Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, will also be joined by Nate
Riddle from Open Doors, Sabrino Dorman, Andrew from New Creation VA,
(00:42):
and Ashley Rizzo Chaudie from Rocktown Rollers Roller Derby. Kelsey,
let's start off, give me a little bit bigger idea
of what the Great Community Give is and why the
community foundations involved.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah. So, like you said, the Great Community Give is
a rise to sunset Giving Day, meaning we're going to
start bright and early at six am and it will
go and tell eight pm. So whenever the sun is up,
you can give to area organizations. The nonprofits that are
serving Harrisburg and rockym County. And so it's a really
(01:18):
special day to see the community come together to support
all different types of the organizations that serve our community
so well. Here at the Community Foundation, our mission is
we make it easy to give back to the community
we all love and we feel like the Great Community
Give is a great vehicle for that. The minimum donation
(01:38):
is ten dollars. You know, it's only ten dollars. You
log onto the Great Community Give dot org website. It's
really easy to find, you know, the organizations that you know,
or maybe the organizations that you've never heard of but
are interested in learning more about and supporting. Like I said,
the minimum donation is ten dollars, so it's pretty accessible
for people to come together and just give what they
(02:01):
feel comfortable giving. And yeah, I give what they can
to support Kelsey.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
I hope that most of our listeners have heard of
the Great Community Give, but they may not be as
familiar with the Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockham County.
What is your organization, what are you doing behind the scenes,
and why did you adopt this idea of doing the
Great Community Give?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Sure, Yeah, we do get that a lot a lot
of times when I first started working here at the
Community Foundation, I would say that this is where I'm
working and they would say, oh, what's that. I'd say,
do you know what the great community given is? They say, yeah,
I donate every year, and I said, that's us. So,
like I said, the Community Foundation of Hersoonbery and Rockham County.
Our mission is we make it easy to give back
(02:46):
to the community we all love, and we do that
through so many different ways. So we hold and manage
charitable funds, and we specialize in endowment so these forever
funds where nonprofits are going to be able to be
supported now into the future.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Too.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
We hold and manage scholarship funds for local students. We
have dozens of scholarship funds, primarily for local high school seniors,
but also for vocational training for adults wanting to go
back and get different certifications, which is awesome. We do
(03:25):
the great community give obviously. We also do Dolly Parton's
Imagination Library, which is a program where children under the
age of five can get one free book delivered right
to their door once a month, which is awesome. We
do some other things, but really everything that we do
is revolved around charitable giving.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
So the money raised on April twenty second during the
Great Community Give, is that to fund and endowment or
is that money going directly to the organizations?
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So that money is going directly to the organizations. Last
year we raised two point two million dollars and our
goal this year is two point five million dollars. But yeah,
all that money goes straight back to the organizations, which
I think makes this event just even more special because
you know that whether it's ten dollars, whether it's one
(04:17):
hundred dollars, whether it's one thousand dollars, whatever you want
to give, that money is going straight back to the
community that you're living in, and that's going to impact you.
It may impact you directly or at least indirectly, which
I think is really special.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
So do I have to wait until April twenty second
to make a donation to my favorite organization Chris?
Speaker 2 (04:37):
If you are just so excited and you cannot wait
until April twenty second, you do not have to Early
giving starts April seventh, So the Great Community Give dot
org website April seventh, at midnight will be up and
accepting donations. You can that's when you can also start
making your offline donation, so through checks or cash, you
(05:02):
can send those directly to the nonprofits that you want
to support. And that early giving phase is open from
April seventh to April twenty first, and then April twenty
second is the Day of Great Community Give.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
But if I make a contribution early, it still counts
towards that two point five million dollar goal for the year.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Absolutely, yes it does.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
And how many organizations are going to be participating this year?
Speaker 2 (05:28):
We have one hundred and fifty seven organizations, which is
just such a shock because I think, you know, we
know of the same few popular or big organizations, and
I think a lot of people think there may be
like fifteen or twenty nonprofits, but you know, there's at
least one hundred and fifty seven that are serving Harsonbury
(05:48):
and Rockeham County, which is awesome.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, I agree. I love the fact that here in
the Harrisburg Rockem County area we have so many organizations
helping so many people, neighbors helping neighbors, and we've we've
got three of those organizations that are joining us today
on iHeart Communities. I'd like to speak with Nate Riddle.
He's the executive director of Open Doors. Nate, welcome to
iHeart Communities and welcome to the great community give looking
(06:13):
forward to seeing how the community can help give back
to your organization. Can you tell us a little bit
about what open Doors is and how you're helping and
how the money you raise will help your organization.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Yeah, absolutely, Chris, thanks for having us here today. Well.
Open Doors has served the Harrisonburg and Rockingham community for
eight eighteen years. We serve as the area's only load
barrier emergency shelter provider for those experiencing homelessness. What that
means is that we're serving typically every case or every
face of homelessness that you may think of. This is
(06:48):
ground zero or the emergency room and the homeless services system.
We now serve in a year round model. For the
majority of our eighteen years, we only operate at six
months out of the year during the coldest parts of
the year, and that would be traditionally called the thermal season.
But in December of twenty twenty four, we moved into
a facility called the Navigation Center and that allows us
(07:09):
to provide that year round shelter to eighty individuals each night.
So every night we welcome eighty people, fifty six men,
twenty four women, and they don't only receive a place
to sleep in safety and comfort, but access to many
many resources. Starting in December twenty twenty four, we also
(07:29):
launched broader programming to reach the community that is unhoused
and not in the shelter, but also the housed in
our community experiencing other hardship. And we do that through
a couple of different ways. We can being eight on
site partnerships that address housing and security, that provides specialized
case management services, mental health and healthcare needs that the
(07:51):
community might be experiencing. And we provide resource navigation, free
amenities like showers and laundry, things that really allow us
to live out our mission of safe shelter, but also
compassionate support and access to services. We've been in this
facility for about one and a half years now and
we've been able to meet many people where they're at
(08:13):
in this new model that brings stability for us but
also the individuals we're serving.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Do we sort of have a invisible homeless issue here
in our community. I would think that there are people
who are still employed but they're underemployed and no fault
of their own. They weren't able to pay their mortgage,
they've lost their home, or some kind of scenario like
that where they're in need of just some basic assistance
(08:41):
to get back on their feet. Is that where Open
Doors comes in.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Absolutely, and you make a good point, Chris, about invisible homelessness,
and that is a sign of a well functioning system.
But the issue is very real in our community. In
twenty twenty five, open Doors served three hundred and ninety
two unique individuals in the shelter program, another two hundred
and forty five unique people in the drop in center.
Mix of housed and unhoused individuals in that number, but yes,
(09:10):
increasingly so, we have individuals that are working full time
but not at a livable wage to where they consistain
independent living in the market that we have in the
local area, more people that are with cars. Right if
you come to our parking lot, you'll see a full
parking lot every evening, and those are individuals that fell
in hard times, lost their housing, but are still commuting
(09:30):
back and forth to work every day. It's a very
real issue that's growing in prevalence and in diversity and
who it's touching. And so we see the single mother
that you know, perhaps experienced the divorce or the domestic
violence victim that's fleeing that situation. And then we see
(09:51):
individuals that again simply fell on hard times and needs
extra support. So they come here. They get a place
to stay, but they also receive access to case management, healthcare,
on site mental health if they so choose, and just
a compassionate and kind hand as they navigate the next
chapter of their life. Now, our goal is transition. We
(10:14):
are an emergency solution, right we say that the shelter
is the life saving program, then our drop and center
and the resource programming is our life changing program, and
we want them to ultimately find a long term solution
outside of the facility. Fifty three people did that in
twenty twenty five. That might sound like a small number,
but it's quite significant when you think about what our
(10:36):
housing stock is doing in the area. We're good at
what we do, but we have to have a place
to send people, and the reality is that we don't
necessarily have as many places that we need to send people.
So fifty three chiuse accomplishment and speaks to the great
work that Open Doors is doing, but also the many
partners that we work with.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
You mentioned that you went from a six month program
to a year round program that I'm guessing that probably
comes to doubling your expense throughout the year. I would
assume the Great Community Give is going to be a
great way for you to help supplement those additional costs
in your budget.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
Absolutely so. First, you know, we are in a public
private partnership with the City of Harrisonburg, but a common
misconception is that we are largely subsidized or that if
that budget is offset by the City of Harrisonburg. And
while we're very thankful for our partnership, local government funding
only makes around twenty three twenty five percent maybe an fyi,
twenty seven of our overall operations. There are no state
(11:33):
or federal funds that fund open Doors or the programming
here at the Navigation Center, which is the building that
we operate out of, so we rely greatly on private Phillecianthropy,
including the Great Community Give. Last year's campaign was called
Planting Our Routes. It was really focused on the capital
expansion here at the new facility, and this year we've
coined the campaign, growing our routes right, moving towards stability,
(11:54):
that where we're meeting that demand because there has been
a great increase with a six month to twelve month
transition and then the growing program to reach the broader community.
People are are programming without our case management team, without
our support team, we're not able to navigate the complexity
that our guests are experiencing. But we also provide hygiene
(12:15):
products and do our due diligence to make sure that
when someone needs a birth certificate, we can get that
for them. When folks need linens right, we're providing our
base lens, but also providing them extras that make sure
that they're comfortable while they're here. So the great community
give and here around. Philanthropy from our community, our capassionate
community that I'm thankful to live in, is of extreme
(12:36):
importance to our mission.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
We're speaking with Nate Riddle, executive director from Open Doors.
What's your goal moving forward in the next five years?
How would extra funding help you grow?
Speaker 4 (12:50):
Yeah, Well, we're really focused on moving people through the
system at appropriate pace, but we want to get quicker
right and so that requires us to continue courting prevention
and long term solutions outside of the facility. So we
are focused on stabilizing our program here in the shelter program,
but also building partnerships that are focused on that long
(13:12):
term care. So most recently the Shelter Mental Health Partnership
with launched this month. That launched this month on site
of the Navigation Center, is focused on bringing a source
of mental health in a rather scarce.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
Environment.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Right there aren't very many mental health providers, but we
recognize that that stability is required for someone to be
able to transition, So we're focused on addressing the holistic needs.
So over the next five years, we look to grow
those partnerships that are going to allow someone to not
just stabilize and find safety, but to make a transition.
We continue to engage in advocacy and we plan to
(13:48):
ramp those matters to those engagements up so that we
continue to see affordable housing developed in the area and
real solutions.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
In real time.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
We hope not to have to grow our shelter program
because we want to focus on the larger issues that
make that not as needed.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Nate Riddle is the executive director of Open Doors. If
we would like to get in touch with you, if
we'd like to learn more information about open Doors. How
do we reach out to you?
Speaker 4 (14:16):
Yeah, you can find us online at Valley Opendoors dot
org dot org. You can also find us on any
social media platform at Valley open Doors and we'd love
to connect. We have community connection events all throughout the
year where folks can come in and meet with our staff,
take a tour of the facility and really see what
(14:36):
is being done here on site and what the impact is.
We want you to be able to experience that as
closest to the ground as possible, not just through the
Great Community to Give, but year round and so we're
thankful to be part of the Community Foundation's initiative. We've
been a part of it since its inception and every
year we continue to grow. Those funds continue to grow
for us through this event and playing a pivotal part
(14:57):
in our ability to be where we're at today.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Great Community Give Us coming up on Wednesday, April twenty second,
we're just a few weeks away now. It's a sunrise
to sunset fundraising event. If you'd like to contribute to
open Door support what they're doing here in our community,
you can go to Great Community Give dot org. Another
one of the organizations that's participating this year is New
(15:21):
Creation VA and the co founder and executive director is
Sabrina Dorman Andrews. Sabrina, good morning, Good morning. Tell us
about New Creation.
Speaker 6 (15:32):
Yeah, So New Creation is a Harsenburg based nonprofit that
creatively counteracts human trafficking.
Speaker 5 (15:39):
And so a lot of.
Speaker 6 (15:40):
The work that we're doing is right here in our
local community. So human trafficking is one of those issues
that I think a lot of people are unaware of.
They don't think it's here in our community. And so
because of those misconceptions, often victims are not identified and
children are not protected, and so our art really is
(16:01):
first and foremost to prevent human trafficking. So one of
our initiatives is called the Prevention Project. It's actually a
curriculum that we help fund and implement in middle.
Speaker 5 (16:10):
Schools and high schools.
Speaker 6 (16:12):
We're in Page County, Rockingham County, Harrisonburg City, stand Augusta, Waynesboro,
and even down in the Williamsburg area. So prevention and
awareness is a big piece of what we do. A
lot of people know about us because of our shop.
So our shop is in a pretty infamous building in
the city. We took over a former we'll call it
(16:33):
an adult novelty shop, and we did that very purposefully
because we wanted to talk about the issues that are
very normalized in our society and our culture that does
lay the groundwork and foundation for things like sextra trafficking
to thrive. So our shop that is a job creation mechanism.
So what we have found found out is even when
(16:56):
survivors are exiting their exploitation, eighty percent of human trafficking
survivors go back into exploitation without a dignified opportunity. So
job creation has to be part of the solution in
the anti trafficking movement.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
So we do that globally. So we've worked with over.
Speaker 6 (17:13):
Two hundred partnerships making sure survivors have dignified opportunities to
move themselves out of exploitation and into a thriving, beautiful life.
And here locally, we're working on a coffee shop and
cafe to do the very same thing. So the coffee
shop and cafe that we're going to open it is
going to be a job creation mechanism as well, just
(17:35):
an extension of our shop to make sure that women
who are overcoming in our city, whether it's exploitation or
incarceration or addiction, that they have a not just a
great work environment, but they have opportunities for workforce training,
job development, personnel.
Speaker 5 (17:54):
Development, and mentorships.
Speaker 6 (17:56):
And so that's a little bit of what New Creation does.
We also walk with local and so we partner with
a great local organization, stone Haven, VA. They are the
other anti trafficking organization in our city. And it's such
a beautiful partnership because we work together to serve local
survivors and to make it even more impactful.
Speaker 5 (18:16):
Nate is one of the partnerships.
Speaker 6 (18:17):
So Stonehaven has a drop in center at the Navigation
Center to make sure if there is somebody exploit that
if somebody is in exploitation, they have the ability to
connect to the resources that are very specified for them.
And so I love the way that our community, you know,
the great community give helps showcase so many of our
(18:39):
amazing organizations. But it's really cool of the way that
we partner together and work together, and often people don't
realize that.
Speaker 5 (18:46):
So I love Nate.
Speaker 6 (18:48):
I love Open Doors And if you guys have not
seen it, you really do need to go and see it.
It's really incredible and It's such a great resource, not
just for a new creation in the population we serve,
but for our community as a whole.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Sabrina Dorman speaks.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
I was going to add that speaks to the holistic
nature of this project, But that collaboration I don't think
we can emphasize enough. You know, we are providing shelter
for those victims in some scenarios, but we're not the
expert in human trafficking and exploitaations, so we bring those
case management services on site. So thank you Sabrina for
highlighting that partnership.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Yeah, when we were speaking with you, Nate and Sabrina,
as you're talking about new creations, one of the things
that I was thinking about is, especially when we're talking
about the homeless population, safety for them. You know, if
you're sleeping in your car, or you know, worse, you're
sleeping outside, the threat to your personal safety and how
(19:48):
someone could offer warmth to exploit you, and how they
can you know, offer maybe if you're addicted to drugs,
offer you some drugs and say you can come here
and you'll be safe, And it's just the opposite. Uh, Sabrina,
is our community within a and I don't want to
(20:08):
use the word normal, because nothing about what we're talking
about is normal. But is it within the averages of
what other communities in Virginia are dealing with or are
we a place where, because of the interstate, maybe that
people are being exploited more than they are in other areas.
Speaker 6 (20:27):
Yeah, the reality is, you know, human trafficking is everywhere.
It's in every city, big and small. Our city, I
do think poses some challenges uniquely, like what you mentioned,
Chris about you know, our positioning to the interstate.
Speaker 5 (20:42):
But you know, a lot of times even what.
Speaker 6 (20:44):
You were talking about of you know, somebody being able
to offer warmth to somebody in exchange the idea of
human trafficking. All somebody needs is a vulnerability, and we
all have a vulnerability. So traffickers are looking for a
vulnerability to exploit. And so we have populations, whether it's
a college student that's away from home for the first
(21:05):
time and we have all these colleges and universities that
can create a vulnerability, or we're a refugee resettlement community,
which makes our city so beautiful, but that population can
often be vulnerable because there's a barrier of language, there's
a disparity in a lot of times the resources that
they need, so that can make someone more vulnerable. So
(21:27):
I do see that our city has some specific vulnerabilities
that maybe other cities don't see. What I think is
the most surprising. So I entered into the anti trafficking
movement globally first. So my husband and I were serving
a group in Uganda, and so this was back in
twenty twelve. Nobody was really talking about domestic human trafficking.
(21:50):
What does it look like in our country and how
does it happen? And so I think even back then
people had this misconception that it was kidnapping into trafficking.
We weren't really understanding how it happens. A lot of
the cases that I have worked locally, and it falls
very much in line across the nation, are familial trafficking,
meaning that victim is exploited by a family member. The
(22:13):
very first case of trafficking I worked was in my
hometown of Elkton, which is less than four thousand people,
and that young lady's trafficker was her mother, and so
the idea of vulnerability whether in this case her mom
had an addiction, and that created a horrific opportunity for
(22:34):
her to exploit her daughter to support her addiction. But
that can be a loss of a job, that can
be homelessness, that can be a lack of opportunities that
create in a family unit.
Speaker 5 (22:47):
This really really.
Speaker 6 (22:49):
Horrific cycle of exploitation within the families. And so that's
why the work we're doing in schools is so important.
You know, when we started talking about we need to
have conversations in schools, did at first have pushback because
people really wanted those topics taught at the dining room
table and a family right, like which is you know,
(23:09):
wouldn't that be utopia?
Speaker 5 (23:10):
We don't even eat at our dining room anymore.
Speaker 6 (23:13):
But you know this idea that like families should be
the ones. But the reality is about fifty percent of
child sex trafficking in the US is perpetrated by a
family member. So you know, when that is what is
happening and that is what is normal in that child's
life and in that family, you really need an outside
agency like New Creation to raise awareness, open conversations, and
(23:37):
give potential victims or current victims the language that they
need to say what is actually happening.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
I spoke to someone once that was doing difficult work
like you do every day, and I said, how do
you how do you deal with it? And they said,
because I know we're helping. It's it's such powerful work
that you're doing. Sabrina Orman Andrews, the co founder and
executive director of New Creation Virginia. If you're listening to
this conversation and you're thinking, oh, they need help, you
(24:09):
can help with the Great Community Give coming up on
April twenty second. Go to Great Community Give dot org.
There are links to all of the organization's descriptions of
what they do in our community. There's one hundred and
fifty seven organizations that are participating this year. We've spoken
with two so far. This morning, I'd like to bring
in Ashley Rizzo Chatti. She's the president of Rocktown Rollers
(24:30):
roller derby and Ashley, you're participating this year and we're
going to raise some funds for you and your crew.
Tell me about Rocktown Rollers.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Sure, thanks for having me. Yeah. So, Rocktown Rollers is
the local roller derby league in Harrisonburg. We currently represent
skaters from up and down basically the Shenandoah Valley. We
are a volunteer skater owned and operated nonprofit ORGANI Station.
Our mission is to support local businesses and charities and
(25:06):
serve as positive role models in the community, respecting diversity
and providing quality sports entertainment. Roller Derby is a crazy sport.
It's super fun, kind of like Nascar on roller spots
if you will. It's a full contact sport. It's something
that we can that anybody can participate in. And that's
(25:29):
one of the things that I love the most about
about roller derby and about Rocktown Rollers specifically.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
When I was a kid, we used to watch the
roller derbies on TV. Are the Rocktown Rollers just like that?
Are you in crazy costumes and trying to hip check
the person out of the roller rink?
Speaker 4 (25:46):
So?
Speaker 2 (25:46):
Yes, and no.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
One of the things I think that people think about
when they think about roller derby is bank track, so
the tracks the sides go up high. We don't do
bank track. We are part of a flat track organization,
so maybe a little less exciting, but I don't think
so personally. But we are definitely trying to hip check
the other team out of the out of the track
(26:10):
if we can manage it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
I had a coworker that was a Rocktown roller years ago.
We came and watched and it was a blast. So
I encourage you, if you've not been to one of
the events, to check out a roller derby here at Harrisonburg.
Ashley Rizzochatti is the president of Rocktown Rollers Roller Derby.
How will the Great Community give help your organization to
(26:33):
continue to thrive?
Speaker 3 (26:35):
So the Great Community Give is going to be a
real boon for the Rocktown Rollers. Currently, with our membership,
we have dues. Every member of plase paced dues and
that brings in about fourteen hundred dollars a month, but
it costs us on average seventeen hundred dollars a month
to just practice just have a space to practiceess So
(26:58):
that gives us shortage of about thirty six hundred dollars,
and we love to be able to bring in eighty
six thousand dollars is what we're looking for because one
of the things that we love to be able to
do and have done in the past is when we
host bouts. When we host games, part of our proceeds
(27:18):
from ticket sales we will donate back to our sponsored charities.
So we have worked with places like our Community or
excuse me, our Community Place, OCP, Big brothers and big sisters.
We have participated in the Out of the Darkness Walk
as well as the Blacks Run cleanup and we have
(27:39):
about coming up actually on April eighteenth, and our two
charities of focus then will be the ASPCA and then
Love Forward, which is a charity based out of Stanton,
and actually one of the women that I believe she
owns the charity or runs the charity, she was a
Rocktown roller as well. So being able to to have
(28:00):
that money to then donate back to our community is
something that's really important to us.
Speaker 6 (28:07):
The other thing that we.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
We'll use our money for is to cut out that
can't afford to either pay dues or get a full
new kit of equipment. Like I said, dues is fifty
dollars a month, and then you have to have insurance
which is seventy five dollars a year, and then a
new kit of equipment can cost anywhere from two hundred
and fifty dollars to upwards of one thousand depending on
(28:35):
how fancy the skates you want, and so being able
to have a scholarship to invite everyone in is really
important to us. We don't ever want money to be
a barrier to be able to participate with the Rocktown Rollers.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
The Rocktown Rollers Roller Derby President Ashley Word. So, Chotie,
what what's your racer name or your derby name?
Speaker 3 (29:00):
My derby name is Nancy Drew Bud and my number
is eight way. That's why my number is important is
because it represents the Dewey decimal where Nancy Drew mysteries
are found in the library. So we get to pick
our name, we get to pick our number, and usually
there's some kind of significance like that.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
I love it. The Great Community Give is coming up
on April twenty second. Kelsey, program manager with the Community
Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rocky Am County. We've got like
thirty seconds, real quick. Tell us how we can get
all the information we need and how we can participate
in the Great Community Give.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Absolutely yeah. So if you you know, are hearing from
Open Doors or New Creation VA or Rock Town Rollers
and you are interested in giving to them on Great
Community Give Day or during that early giving time from
April twenty April seventh to April twenty for you can
visit Great Community Give dot org. You'll just go to
(30:00):
the search bar and you can type in a specific
organization that you know you want to give to. You
can look up a broad topic like housing insecurity, or
youth or the arts or something like that, and you'll
be able to maybe learn about some new organizations that
you're not familiar with, or like I said, you the
ones that you know you want to give to. And
(30:20):
the minimum donation is ten dollars. There is no maximum donation.
So let your generosity speak to you on that day
and what you want to give.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
And we're gonna stop it there, and I will put
a
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